Most Popular Esports Events by Organizers: PGL, BLAST, ESL & More

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In the fast-paced world of esports, where digital prowess meets global competition, events serve as the battlegrounds where champions are crowned, legacies are forged, and fandoms unite. Amidst the myriad of tournaments, leagues, and championships, those organized by third-party entities stand out as a crucial part of the esports ecosystem. In this article, we delve into the most popular of esports events, spotlighting the most popular third-party event organizers, and which disciplines they work within.

Behind the scenes of esports, a diverse array of third-party organizers meticulously craft and orchestrate events that elevate competitive gaming to unparalleled heights. From LAN tournaments to sprawling online cups, these events showcase the pinnacle of skill, strategy, and spectacle that define esports. The presence of third-party events provides a much-needed choice to esports professionals. They can compete in whichever tournaments they please, as the rich industry of event organizers offers many alternatives to official developer-related events.

Throughout this piece, we will highlight the most successful tournaments of esports leading third-party event organizers. These organizers have left a substantial mark on many esports titles with their prestigious events, and many of them received a peak viewership in the 7-figure range.

PGL Best Tournaments by Viewership

PGL, standing tall as one of the foremost pioneers in esports event organization, has left an indelible mark on the competitive gaming landscape. With almost a decade of history hosting and organizing Counter-Strike tournaments, the company has become Counter-Strike’s uncontested most popular event organizer. Three of PGL’s tournaments make up Counter-Strike’s top three most popular events by vpeak concurrent viewership.

  The PGL Major Antwerp 2022 was one of esports largest indoor events, image via PGL   

With a portfolio boasting iconic events such as the Dota 2 Major Championships, CS:GO Majors, and the renowned PUBG Global Invitational, PGL has consistently hosted world-class esports events. The company has ventured into a variety of esports disciplines, and found high viewership and fans within each. One of the keys to PGL’s success has been their extremely lucrative working relationship with Valve. Valve are the developers of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, two of the world’s leading esports disciplines, and they have often partnered with PGL to host their yearly Major events.

PGL’s most popular tournament remains the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The tournament remains to this date PGL’s most expensive tournament ever with a prize pool of $2M, and it is still Counter-Strike’s single most popular tournament ever. It was the only Major for Counter-Strike on the calendar in 2021, and PGL’s first-time hosting a CS Major in four years. PGL most recently organized the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 for Valve, and the Major event was a wild success. As CS2’s first Major many fans tuned in, and it became the third-most popular CS tournament ever with 1.85M PV.

  NAVI was the champions of the recent PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, image via PGL   

On top of their close work with Valve within Counter-Strike’s titles, PGL has also collaborated to host Dota 2 events. PGL has collaborated with Valve since 2017 to organize The International, the year’s premiere world championship event. The International 10, the collaborative event, recorded 2.74M PV, Dota 2’s most popular event ever. PGL has also hosted Majors for Dota 2 on their own; the PGL Arlington Major 2022, an exclusively PGL’s work, received 707.9K PV for its grand final match.

BLAST Best Tournaments by Viewership

BLAST is a notable player in the esports event organizing sphere, making a considerable impact on competitive gaming. Known best for their Counter-Strike events, BLAST Premier has introduced dynamic approaches to esports competitions. Hosting well-received events like the BLAST Premier Global Final and the BLAST Premier Spring and Fall series, the organization consistently delivers engaging matches to global audiences. 

With a focus on viewer interaction and player experience, the Danish esports league has established itself as a leading figure in the esports industry. The league was launched in 2020, and suffered a hindered start due to the COVID pandemic, but they found footing within the industry and have since become a significant league for many esports titles. BLAST Premier's influence on the esports landscape is evident, underscoring their role in shaping the industry's evolution.

  BLAST Premier have hosted some of the best-produced esports events on stage, image via BLAST Premier   

BLAST’s most notable contribution to esports was their BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. The event was the year’s sole official Valve-sponsored Major for Counter-Strike, and CS:GO’s final Major. Counter-Strike 2’s release date was announced ahead of the tournament, and it was clear that this would be the final Major for Global Offensive. Players came hungry for one last piece of glory in Global Offensive, and a massive number of fans tuned in for the final page of CS:GO’s story.

The Parisian Major ultimately received 1.53M PV, making it one of the most popular CS:GO Majors to date. Apart from this highly successful collaboration with Valve, BLAST also host their own tournaments for the top-tier Counter-Strike scene.

  BLAST Pro Series was an esports circus traveling around the world to bring exciting gameplay to all, image via BLAST Premier   

Both the Fall 2021 Finals and Spring 2022 Finals brought together some of the world’s top teams to a LAN event with $425K up for grabs in prizes. The events are some of Counter-Strike’s most popular third-party tournaments ever hosted, excluding the Intel Extreme Masters event series. In late 2022, BLAST launched BLAST.tv, their independent streaming service. The platform hosts offline and live content for Counter-Strike fans, highlighting BLAST’s devotion to creating enjoyable esports content.

ESL FACEIT Group Best Tournaments by Viewership

The ESL FACEIT Group stands as a cornerstone in the esports event organization domain, wielding significant influence on competitive gaming. Operating under renowned banners such as Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), ESL One, and DreamHack, they have orchestrated some of the most celebrated tournaments in esports history. With a global reach and a reputation for excellence, ESL FACEIT Group events consistently attract top-tier talent and massive audiences. This was put into monetary value when ESL and FACEIT were acquired and merged for a collective $1.5B.

  The iconic ESL One Cologne 2015 trophy on stage, image via ESL FACEIT Group   

From the prestigious IEM Katowice to the electrifying ESL One Cologne and the ground-level and immersive DreamHack Open series, their tournaments showcase the pinnacle of competitive gaming across a variety of titles. Beyond mere spectacle, ESL FACEIT Group's events have played a pivotal role in advancing esports as a mainstream phenomenon, fostering community engagement, and providing a platform for aspiring players to showcase their skills on the world stage. 

Before ESL Gaming’s and FACEIT’s acquisition and merger in 2022, ESL Gaming GmbH was an established German esports organizer and production company. The company hosted some of the world’s largest esports events, and their presence in Cologne has transformed the city into a sacred place for Counter-Strike fans. The IEM Cologne series is one of the esports best-loved events; known as the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, the city hosted its most popular edition ever in 2022, receiving 1.25M PV.

  SK Gaming lifted the trophy at the ESL One Cologne 2016, image via ESL FACEIT Group   

ESL has also collaborated with Valve to host Major events across multiple disciplines. The IEM Rio Major in 2022 was Brazil’s first CS:GO Major and ESL’s first Major since 2016. It received 1.43M PV, becoming ESL’s most successful event ever. Within Dota 2, ESL also organised the Stockholm Major 2022 which received 589K PV. 2022 was a significant year for ESL as they collaborated with Valve and reached the eyes of millions of esports fans.

Outside of Majors, ESL also hosts a regular Pro League for Counter-Strike where the world’s top teams compete throughout many weeks of matches. Their DreamHack events are also widely regarded, although they nowadays often appeal to a lower tier of competition. ESL has also branched out to a wide variety of esports, such as mobile gaming esport PUBG Mobile. The company hosted the World League 2020 East event for the discipline, receiving 1.15M PV and fully realizing the viewership potential of mobile esports.

FACEIT was founded in London in 2012 and hosted leagues and events for a myriad of esports disciplines. Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Dota 2 are just some of the esports disciplines they have covered in their industry.

FACEIT are well-known for their matchmaking services, often seen as a higher-tier of gameplay across multiple disciplines. Excluding their excellent services, their anti-cheat system is a leading example in the industry and highlights the company’s dedication to fair and competitive games. 

  The FACEIT Major London 2018 was the UK’s first taste of such a large esports event, image via ESL FACEIT Group   

FACEIT built their place as a tournament organizer within Counter-Strike through their Esports Championship Series events, which would eventually become Flashpoint, a franchised league founded in 2020. Flashpoint 1 was one of FACEIT’s most popular tournaments to date, receiving 282.4K PV for its debut season.

Apart from their own events, FACEIT also collaborated with Valve in 2018 to host their first Major tournament, the FACEIT Major London 2018. It was the first Counter-Strike Major to be hosted in the UK and featured a prize pool of $1M. Held in Wembley Arena, it received 1.08M PV as Astralis achieved their second Major title within Counter-Strike at the event.

ELEAGUE Best Tournaments by Viewership

ELeague has established itself as a prominent figure recognized for their high-quality production within the esports industry. ELeague has hosted several prestigious tournaments and through partnerships with major game publishers and broadcast networks, events like the ELEAGUE Major and ELEAGUE Premier have garnered significant viewership and showcased top-tier competition across various titles. 

  The ELeague trophy sits proudly amid the expensive stage for their esports events, image via ELeague   

Additionally, ELeague's efforts in integrating esports into traditional sports media have been noteworthy, contributing to the broader recognition and acceptance of esports in mainstream culture. The league was founded with television broadcasting in mind, and many of their early tournaments were the first time many esports fans were able to watch professional matches on traditional television channels. The company was founded in association with Turner Broadcasting, the owner’s of cable network TBS. The company’s American roots meant their esports events were broadcast to many North American fans.

Established in 2016 to host events for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the league expanded into other esports disciplines, although Counter-Strike remains their most popular venture. In 2017, after hosting their own million-dollar tournaments, they collaborated with Valve to host the ELEAGUE Major 2017 in the United States. They repeated the collaboration the next year, although their debut Major remains their most popular tournament ever with 1.33M PV. 

  FaZe Clan were the champions at the ELeague Invitational 2019, image via Eleague   

The majors were always a step ahead of ELeague’s own name-brand events. The CS:GO Premier 2018 was ELeague’s final million-dollar event for Counter-Strike, and it received 221.3K PV, more than a million concurrent viewers fewer than their Major events. ELeague proved they can produce high-quality world championship events, but their time in Counter-Strike is in the past.

StarLadder Best Tournaments by Viewership

StarLadder is the largest esports event organizer within Eastern Europe, and began hosting Global Offensive tournaments in 2012. StarLadder’s events built them a following within their home region, and with flagship events such as the StarSeries & i-League tournaments for games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, StarLadder has consistently attracted top-tier talent and engaged audiences worldwide.

  StarLadder Major Berlin 2019 was the company’s most popular event ever, image via StarLadder   

In 2019, StarLadder had their time in the global spotlight when they collaborated with Valve across two esports disciplines. Their CS:GO tournament StarLadder Major Berlin 2019 was their most popular event ever, receiving 836.3K PV. 

StarLadder has since taken a break from high-level esports events. They largely host smaller events through esports disciplines like PUBG and Valorant, but excluding the $250,000 Global Esports Tour 2022: Dubai, fans thought StarLadder’s time within CS was coming to a close. However, just recently, StarLadder announced it will return to high-level Counter-Strike events for 2025, and confirmed throughout 2026. They will hold two seasons of events in 2025, and another two the next year. StarLadder made their mark on CS:GO’s history, and now are trying to repeat it within CS2.